


Worlds Collide

by theladyscribe



Series: Pantheon [6]
Category: Actor RPF, CW Network RPF, Star Trek RPF, Supernatural RPF, Veronica Mars RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-01
Updated: 2013-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-25 07:37:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theladyscribe/pseuds/theladyscribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jensen announces his retirement from film and theatre and all that they entail at the age of forty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worlds Collide

Jensen announces his retirement from film and theatre and all that they entail at the age of forty. Shortly thereafter, his BA in English from the University of Phoenix arrives in the mail. The two events are not entirely coincidental.

By August, he has moved to Laredo, Texas, where he teaches English and literature to some of the poorest kids in the state. If he were completely honest, it's the only reason they hire him: the state will pay for his masters as long as he teaches there for the next four years. It's not that he needs the money, he explains to his mom when she asks him why he couldn't just get his masters on his own and teach at a different (better, safer) school. But it takes a while to get a masters, and he's already just getting into teaching at forty.

He finds out that he loves it, actually. He likes the challenge of teaching Twain and Steinbeck to kids who go home speaking another language. He sometimes thinks that he learns more from them than they do from him, but that's okay.

He knows the girls (and some of the boys) all kind of swoon around him, but for the first time in his life, he finds that he doesn't mind too much. The nice thing about his school is that no one knows who he is. Few of his students have ever been to a theatre, and even fewer know what the Tonys are. Even so, he uses his middle name, going by Mr. Ross (or "JR" as some of his students have taken to calling him), just to be safe. All-in-all, he's got it made, and he's making it anonymously, with no expectations because he used to be somebody.

And then, of course, one of his students proves him wrong.

Mia stops by his desk on a Monday afternoon. She's one of his better students, but she looks nervous.

"Is something wrong, Miss Alvarez?"

She bites her lip and then says, "Mr. Ross, I, um. Have you ever heard of a show called _Supernatural_?"

Jensen raises his eyebrows, trying to stay neutral. "Now where did you hear of that?"

"I was flipping through channels on Saturday, and there was a marathon on the Aught Classics."

Jensen doesn't know whether to laugh or cry at the thought of _Supernatural_ being considered a classic. After an awkward pause, in which Mia looks extremely uncomfortable, he finally asks, "How many did you watch?"

"Five or six?"

 _Oh God_ , he thinks. _She's probably seen me cry._ "Which ones?"

"Um... the last one had a racist truck?" He'd ask how far she got into that one, but the creeping blush tells him the answer. "I, um... I didn't know you were an actor."

"I retired. I like teaching much better." This is really awkward. His student has seen him - well, his younger self - shirtless. Having sex (well, fake sex). On television. This is really really awkward.

"Mia?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't tell anyone about it. I don't want it to get in the way of teaching."

She nods like she understands, but Jensen knows she doesn't really. "Okay." She walks toward the door, when she stops and turns back to him. "If it means anything, I liked the show? Seemed really interesting. Though that one with the bugs had the shortest night I've ever seen. See you tomorrow, JR."

She ducks out of the room before he can even start to laugh.


End file.
